University

Colorado State seeks extended transit service

Students at Colorado State University in Fort Collins could see additional evening service on two routes covered by the local transit agency beginning this fall.

Transfort, the transit property in Fort Collins, signed a tentative agreement with the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) to extend evening service from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on two routes serving neighborhoods west and south of campus.

Kurt Ravenschlag, assistant general manager of Transfort, said the additional service would boost the transit agency’s annual contract with ASCSU to $520,000 from $420,000.

The service is expected to allow students to stay on campus later to use the library and other facilities. “We don’t have any ridership projections, but the students at CSU indicate that there are significant number of students on campus past 7 p.m. who would benefit from extended hours of transit service,” Ravenschlag said.

The contract agreement, which is expected to receive final approval later this month, would also allow students to use their campus IDs as bus passes rather than having to carry separate cards.

Ravenschlag said Colorado State students comprise about one-third of Transfort’s ridership.

By purchasing remanufactured buses, including a two-door, 60-foot articulated bus and two 40-foot buses, Liberty University will receive fully renovated buses in like-new condition for less than half the cost.

The program, Driving Community Connections, is supported by the Ohio Department of Aging and the Ohio Board of Regents. UC students who volunteer can take a one credit hour online elective course to learn more about the aging process.

The University of Wisconsin's 2014 biennial transportation survey report released last month found that in good weather 49% of students opted to walk to class, 22% chose to bike and 18% elected to take the bus. The report also found that about one-fifth of students currently use Madison Metro on a given day.